Stairs and Us
I coupled an ancient homemade variometer or variocoupler with the loose
coupler (in series with the antenna. I reset the slider bar and repaired
the crack in the front coil support. I made a new slider contact out of a
smooth alligator clip. I attached a very think wire to the cat's whisker
tip to improve contact. I refiled the primary coil contacts. I repaired
the 1918 509W 1100 Wester Electric headset leads and placed cloth over the
rubberized ear pieces which seemed to be deteriorating. I reattached a
loose while on the variocoupler. I rewired the connections I made with the
alligator clips. I bypassed the internal secondary coil of the loose
coupler. I glued shims under the outer rail support for the secondary
coil. I set up a short 30 foot antenna in a garage. I attached a 15 foot
ground to a door frame. In the day I pick up 1090 and nothing else, at
night I pick up KOA and nothing else. They're on very different parts of
the AM band. I pick up a faint buzz but this is with or without the
crystal so I imagine it's nothing more than 60 hz inducing in the
vicinity. I think the signals will be stronger in New York - greater
humidity, more and closer stations, and a very long wire antenna and good
ground. I think I'm running this on no energy. I think I'm stealing
energy. I think it's there and free for you and me. I think I'm making a
secret. - http://www.asondheim.org/vario.jpg - While I am doing this, I
think again of the paradox - theoretically one can run upstairs faster
than down since there's only gravity, no foothold, down, and upstairs one
pushes off the stair surfaces for speed. Near a black hole I imagine the
two speeds would be more or less equal. In zero gravity, going down the
stairs would be at 0 kilometers / hour; there's nothing moving the body
one way or another. On the other hand, moving upstairs would still be
roughly at any speed; the obstacle, of course, the inertial mass of the
body and the 'foot force' at hand. I think, why is this? Why is it easier
to fall for someone downstairs, but there are limits based on the planet
the two of you are on - while running upstairs, fleeing the raptor - why,
there's no inherent limit except what the body imposes, against whatever
gravity happens to be around. (I think, downstairs, it's the pulsing of
the planet - upstairs, it's the pulsing of the speaking body, listening
planet, or speaking planet, listening body, always this dialog as one
approaches an indefinite absolute, the planet's masquerade.)